Woman conned out of £45,000 on April Fool's Day

The Tongham resident was persuaded to transfer the money into a new account by fraudsters

A woman has been conned out of £45,000 on April Fool's Day by a man with a Scottish accent claiming to be a 'John Alexander'.

The Tongham resident was persuaded to transfer the money in to a new account after the person called her on the telephone claiming to be investigating fraudulent activity for Visa.

Two similar unsuccessful fraud attempts were reported the same day, in Farnham and Wrecclesham.

Each time the caller advised the victim to telephone their bank immediately to check their account, then stayed on the line to trick them into thinking he was the bank too.

DC Tony Gravener from Guildford CID said: "These offences are particularly appalling as in some cases the suspects appear to be deliberately targeting elderly members of our communities and conning them out of their life savings.

"I would like stress that these requests are not genuine and that no bank would operate in this manner and would never request a customer to confirm their PIN or account details over the phone. Anyone who receives a suspicious call, either on the phone or in person, is urged to not give any details to the caller and report the matter to the police."

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She has been editorial director of the online and print titles in Surrey and north-east Hampshire since 2007. Marnie previously worked at the BBC as a producer for 5 Live, having moved to national radio from BBC Sussex and Surrey.